Of Silence and Skittles
by Redfaerie
Summary: As kids, Zexion was always the weird one that kids teased and Demyx hated.So no one cared when he moved. Now, ten years later, he's back and living with Demyx's best friend. But why is he here? And why won't he speak? Zemxy, AkuRoku.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! Welcome to my first ever DemyxXZexion fic! Now, before you read, there;s something VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: The basic concept of this fic is not mine. It belongs to **_MuffinPirate _**( With the EPIC name ) for her fic **_I Bought These Skittles On Ebay. _**I was looking for fics to read and came across it and, totally won over by the name, couldn't help but read it. So I did. And laughed a lot, and fell in love with the basic idea. And so I wondered what I could do with this idea, and while this fic will be essentially mine ( Having a lot of scenes that her's doesn't and possibly going off in a different direction after the beginning) the plot idea was totally her's. So go read her's. **

** That being said, Please enjoy:

* * *

**

** Chapter 1**

_Prologue_

Roxas blinked, wide eyed, staring out across the classroom and desperately wishing to disappear. To run away, or at the very least to go sit down, merge into the crowd. He'd never liked being the center of attention. The teacher's hand on his shoulder however, was keeping him firmly in place.

"Class", the woman began, her voice loud in the room, unusually quiet for a crowd of second graders. It would probably never be that quiet again. But as it was, they were all staring, wide-eyed at the new kid. As a general rule, Twilight Town didn't get many newcomers, making Roxas somewhat of an anomaly. "I'd like you all to meet Roxas Strife. His family just moved here and he'll be joining us. I'd like you all to make him feel welcome."

There were a few whispers around the room, blended with murmers of agreement and the shuffeling of feet. Fidgiting noises, some supplied by Roxas himself, and he was greatly relieved when she began speaking again, pointing to a desk in the corner. "It looks like we have a free spot over there, next to Zexion. Roxas why don't you go sit over there?"

Nodding, he all but ran to the seat, so single-mindedly focused on getting out of the spotlight that he didn't hear the whispers increase, or notice their sudden, negative, inflection.

Sitting down, he shoved his backpack under the desk, and glanced up at the boy across from him. He was quiet, reading, his gray hair falling down around his face like a curtain, and for a moment, Roxas couldn't help but think that it looked like he was hiding. But he shook the thought off as soon as it arose. That was just stupid. He probably just needed a haircut.

"Hi" he whispered, glancng back at the teacher. She was still in the front of the room, making little marks on a clipboard. Probably taking roll. Either way, she hadn't heard him whisper.

Unfortunately, neither had the boy. What had she said his name was? Something with a Z?

"Hey", he tried again, a little louder. "Pssst."

Blinking, the boy finally looked up, his eyes wide as if he'd just realized he was there. When he didn't say anything, Roxas smiled a little.

"Hi. I'm Roxas. What's your name?"

The boy blinked again, and his eyes changed a little, though Roxas wasn't sure how. He wasn't old enough, had far too little life experience, to be able to read the subtle difference, but he'd caught that there was one. Unsure of what to do, he just smiled some more and waited.

"Zexion." He replied after a moment, his voice soft.

"Okay. Hi Zexion."

Blink.

"Hi."

Roxas waited again, to see if he'd say anything else. Instead, he just went back to his book. Frowning, Roxas looked around the room. All around him sat children who'd known eachother forever, all chattering happily to their friends, quiet enough as so not to get fussed at. Kids were smiling and giggling. There was a blonde girl with funny hair – She reminded Roxas of a bug- shooting rubber bands at the ceiling behind the teachr's back, and two boys playing tic-tac-toe. Others were just talking about T.V, or drawing pictures, but they were all doing something. Having fun. And Roxas wondered why he couldn't have been told to sit next to any of them. Anyone else but this quiet, boring, Zexion kid.

Then suddenly...

"Dischord; A lack of agreement or harmony."

Roxas turned, startled, to stare at Zexion. The other boy was looking down at his book still, but every now and then his eyes would flicker up to Roxas.

"Um...what?"

"Strife. That's your last name right? That's what it means."

Roxas blinked again. Confused. His name? He'd never thought about it meaning anything...It was just his name. And besides, words like 'dischord' and 'lack of harmony'? He frowned.

"I don't know what those words mean, but they didn't sound good."

"It's when things are uncomfortable because people don't agree."

Roxas's frown deepened.

"Well now I _know_ it's not good!" he replied, indignantly. "Why tell me _that_? You're not very nice, are you?"

Zexion opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the teacher,

"Demnyx! Axel! What have I told you about throwing paper!"

Looking over, Roxas saw two boys, one with dirty blonde hair, the other with the craziest shade of red, getting scolded. The teacher was standing over them, frowning and amidst the giggles and the chorus of "ooooooooooh", he couldn't help but smile, despite the rude, quiet, weird boy at his table.

Behind him, Zexion pulled a bag from his pocket and hid it under the table, discreetly popping skittles into his mouth, one by one.

* * *

Zexion frowned, sinking down in his chair as the children's laughter rang out around him, for once directed elsewhere. Slipping another skittle in his mouth he wondered what was wrong with him. Why he was such a screw up. Such a show off. He should have just kept his mouth shut.

He hadn't meant to be mean, hadn't done it intentionally. Actually, he'd been going for just the opposite.

He'd watched Roxas come in the room, seen how he'd fidigited, how uncomfortable he'd been up there. He saw a lot of things, more than people thought he did. They were always so quick to assume that the boy staring at a book behind his hair, wasn't paying attention to them. That they could say whatever they wanted without him noticing.

Say things about him, without him hearing.

Granted, those were preferable to the people who went out of their way so that he'd hear, but it still hurt.

When the teacher had told Roxas to sit by him, his first thought had been to hide, bracing himself for his flat out refusal. He'd heard the murmurs that had erupted throughout the room, the giggles. Poor, poor Roxas, having to sit next to _him_. Would he be okay? He wasn't going to end up like _Zexion_ was he? Someone should warn him.

He'd fully expected Roxas to argue, to ask to sit somewhere else, or to maybe throw something at him. Call him a name. And when he didn't, it had completely thrown him for a loop. He'd...introduced himself. Tried to start a conversation, as if he'd actually wanted to be...friends. Had he? Zexion hadn't know. All he knew was that suddenly there was a person who didn't hate him, who didn't seem to find him weird or creepy, and that this might be his last chance to have a friend in quite a while. And he wanted a friend. Roxas had to like him, he had to!

Unfortunately, he'd had no idea how to do that. He was just sitting there, frozen, unsure of what to say and had thought, suddenly, that he probably looked stupid. And it was in a futile attempt to convice Roxas otherwise, that he'd blurted out the first thing he could think of.

Zexion read a lot. When one has no one to play with, nothing else to do, they find themselves with a lot of free time, and he'd found that reading filled the space nicely. And it was from this that he had acquired a rather large vocabulary. It was the only redeeming quality he possessed, the one his mother showed off to family and guests. She never carried around his pictures, or shared funny anecdotes about his adorable behavior. He supposed he just wasn't cute. But he was smart. He could spell, thread big words naturally into a conversation, sounding much older than seven.

That had to count for something, right?

But apparently, he sighed, watching the frown he'd put on Roxas's face turn up as he looked away, big words and intellegence did nothing for him here. Nothing good anyways. No, rather, it had just alienated him yet again.

Disheartened, he reached into his pocket, closing his fingers around the small bag in his pocket, felt it crinkle reassuringly in his hand. Tearing open the paper, he made sure the teacher wasn't watching before slipping a few round candies into his mouth, letting the sugary taste disolve on his tongue. Focused on the fruity taste instead of wondering what was so wrong with him.

His own juvinile little escape.

* * *

This class, Roxas decided was weird. They were alright he supposed, no worse than his class back home, but still. The teacher was friendly, almost overly so, and looking around he couldn't find a single, normal, kid to be friends with. Hayner, Pence, Ollette, they had all been fairly average, and it was starting to dawn on him that replacing them- in a sense- wasn't going to be easy.

Not that he thought he could replace them exactly, they were still his friends. His mom had taught him how to address an envelope, and he was going to write to them all the time...but you couldn't hang out with letters at recess.

Now the only question was, who could he hang out with?

The answer came as the bell rang, setting them free to run around the playground and fight over the swings. He was scooping up his crayons – They'd been drawing picture books- when all of a sudden two shadows had descended upon him.

"Hiya! I'm Demyx!"

"I'm Axel."

"What'cha drawing?"

"Is that a pineapple?"

"Or an anteater?"

"It sorta looks like a muffin."

"Or an oven?"

Roxas glared. "It's a dog!"

"Oh." They blinked, meeting eachother's eyes. Simultaneously, they shrugged. Watching them, Roxas couldn't help but stare for a moment, too amazed by their synchronization- Didn't things like that only happen in cartoons?- to recall his irritation. It was only for a moment however, and his frown soon returned.

"So what do you guys want?"

"Nothing." The redhead – Axel- replied, his grin returning, and Roxas couldn't help but think that it made him look a little crazy. His eyes got a little wider, and especially with his bright hair, it gave off the appearance of a seven year old psychotic clown.

"Just saying hi." This time it was the blonde who spoke. He was standing on Roxas's other side, him and Axel having him suitably surrounded, and while he didn't remind him of anything found it an evil circus of some sort, he was hesitant to call him...normal. For one thing, he was smiling just a little too big, all but bouncing on the balls of his feet. And then there was his hair... It was blonde, Roxas could tell, but it was also a light blue in some spots and kind of stiff looking, all spiked up in the middle. When he caught Roxas looking it, his grin widened.

"D'ya like it?" He asked, patting at his hair affectionately.

"What did you do to it?"

"It's Kool-Aid! It took me all morning and my Mom's hair dryer, but it's all cool now!" He paused. "And blue!"

"Sort of."

Demyx sent Axel a look. "Shut up!"

"So what-" Roxas began, but he was cut off as Axel's attention was suddenly captured by something outside the window.

"Look!" He exclaimed, his already larrge eyes getting a little larger. "The swings! They're empty."

Immediately, all eyes were turned towards the rare phenomenon. Even Roxas's, because even at his old school, the swings were _never_ empty. Sometimes the teachers had even had to stand out there, making sure no one hogged the swing the entire recess, though more often they didn't bother. Something about teaching the kids to compromise on their own.

Either way, it didn't take a genius to spot a golden opportunity when it was swinging casually in the breeze before them.

"Hurry!" Demyx cried, the three of them bolting out the door, eager to reach the swings before anyone else could.

And from the window, Zexion watched them go. He'd been putting away his own crayons in the cupboard, had frozen when he'd seen Demyx and Axel approach Roxas. He'd slipped back into the corner, trying desperately not to be seen. Not by them. Not now.

He'd been trying to think up a way to befriend Roxas since that morning, and had finally decided to try one more time, at recess. Roxas was new, hadn't made any friends. Maybe if he'd offered to hang out with him, he'd give him another chance. He'd been about to ask when they'd moved in.

Out of everyone in the class, Demyx has to be the worst. He had no idea why. He couldn't recall ever doing anything to the boy, but for some reason is was af if the boy had it out for him. Every push, every shove, every mean, dirty, name spat in his direction, could all be traced back to Demyx, because even though second graders had very little social hirearchy, Demyx was what could be described as "popular." He was friends with everybody...except Zexion. For some unknown reason he'd decided that Zexion was his mortal enemy, and as his friends, the rest of the class had followed his example.

And he was positively sure that by the end of recess, Roxas would be the same...

* * *

"It sucks about your seat."

"What do you mean?"

"I _mean_ about you sitting next to that freak Zexion."

Demyx and Roxas were swinging back and forth, their swings moving in the complete opposite direction of each other, so that the only time they were next to each other was in the middle. Axel was leaning against the pole of the swingset, watching, and waiting for Demyx to jump off so he could have his turn. He'd sacrificed his swing for Roxas, in the spirit of new-friendship and all, but it was only a matter of time until Demyx would jump, flying through the air to see how far he could make it. And while he was busy soaring, his swing would be up for grabs. He knew he'd do it, he always did. Now the only question was when?

Roxas's face wrinkled a little at Demyx's words, his eyes drawing together, lips pressing just a little tighter, thoughfully. "What do you mean 'freak'?"

Sighing, Axel rolled his eyes.

"We mean he's total weirdo. He's all quiet, doesn't talk or anything. He just sits there reading books all day and eating candy."

Roxas's eyes blinked owlishly. "We can eat candy in class?"

"_We_ can't." Demyx scoffed, frowning. His legs pumped the swing a little harder, angrier at the thought of the boy. "He just gets to because everyone thinks he sooo smart. He gets these super good grades and the teacher thinks he's all amazing. She lets him do whatever he wants." His legs were moving quickly now, propelling him further in the air and throwing off the swing's unintentionally synchronized rythem. "It's not fair!" He spat. "He's not cool. He's thinks he's all better than us but he's _not! _He's just a stupid, smart, freak!"

Roxas could have mentioned that that didn't make sense; That you couldn't be stupid and smart at the same time, but it didn't occur to him. Actually, he only thought it for a moment before the notion disappeared, blown away by the boy's actions. His last word was emphasized as his swing reached it's highest point, as he shoved off the seat out into the air. Axel only grinned, waiting for his swing to come back down - having seen Demyx do this countless times before- but Roxas hadn't. Roxas was in awe, amazed at both his bravery and stupidity- he was sure to get hurt.

He was only hurt a little- Just a scraped knee- but what hurt more was the tongue lashing administered by the teacher afterwards. Her frantic screeching in her previously plesant voice, turned shrill as nails on a chalkboard, and no obe was safe from her wrath. Along with scolding Demyx on the dangers of his actions, Axel and Roxas also got pulled into the maelstrom. By the time she was through, running off to examine a cluster of children gathered around something, Roxas felt as exhausted as if he'd been the one lecturing- the flurry of hand motions and what-not. For a moment, the three of them were quiet. Shell-shocked.

Finally, the silence was broken by Axel.

"Man she's loud."

"It was just a swing", Demyx muttered. "I'm not hurt."

"Your knee is bleeding." Roxas pointed out, pointing towards the small smear of red, visible through the missing knees of his jeans. They had been a whole pair of pants once, but just a week with Demyx and the knees had disappeared without a trace. His mother had tried patching them before, but had eventually just accepted defeat, surrendering to the fact that ever pair of her son's pants were destined to have holes in them.

Demyx just shrugged. "That's nothing."

"Yeah!" Axel grinned, "You should have seen when he fell out the tree in his yard! His whole knee was one big scab. And his hands were all scratched and everything. He was _crying_!"

"I was not!"

"Were too!" He replied, sticking out his tongue.

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

"Was-"

Suddenly a loud commotion came from across the playground, punctuated by a screech from the teacher. Looking over, they saw that it came from the huddle the teacher had hurried off towards.

"What's going on?"

"Who knows?"

"Let's go find out."

And so, their argument disregarded with the carelessness of children, the three started off towards the crowd.

"So...you really hate Zexion huh?"

"Well duh." Demy rolled his eyes. "What was your first clue?"

"Why do you care so much?" That came from Axel, who was currently walking backwards, just a little in front of them.

"I dunno", Roxas muttered. That was a lie though. He just didn't understand why Demyx hated him so much. Sure he was weird; He definitely said weird things. But watching him, he didn't seem as bad as Demyx had said. He certainly didn't seem like he thought he was better than everyone. He was just this weird kid, but he didn't seem...bad. "He didn't seem _too_ weird."

Demyx stared at him like he was crazy, Axel's expression mirroring it perfectly.

"Are you nuts! He is _so _weird! He always has been!"

Roxas frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We've known him for a long time." Axel answered. "He's like my cousin or something...only not. It's weird. But trust me. Zexion is creepy."

"How can he be your cousin but not?"

Axel shruged. "I dunno! He just is."

"I don't get it."

"Me either." Demyx replied. "But I don't care. It doesn't make him cool or anything. I just have to watch Axel's mom make a big deal over him."

"She treats him like he's the king of the world", Axel grumbled. "She's always ' Axel, why can't you get good grades like Zexion', or 'Axel, stop getting in so much trouble. Be good like Zexion.'" He dropped the falsetto he's been using to impersonate his mother. "I wanna puke."

"And don't get me started on his mom."

"What about his mom?" Roxas wondered.

"She's as weird as he is!" Demyx threw out his arms dramatically to emphasize his words. "She keeps talking about his grades and everything in this gross, sweet, voice, and touches his head and back and arms and stuff. She pets him like a cat."

"And she smiles all the time, really big. And says she loves him like, eight time a sentence!"

"Yuck", Demyx groaned. "Now _I _wanna puke!"

* * *

As they approached the crowd, they realized that the sound they'd heard rising was laughter and chatter. The teacher was trying valiently to fight her way through to the center of the crowd, but the children weren't making it easy. They were clustered so tightly together, each one trying to get a closer look at the spectacle within.

"Hurry!" Demyx cried, "Before she makes it!"

Quickly, the three of them slipped into the fray, sliding under and between in ways that granted their much smaller bodies more success than their teacher. A few girls squealed indignantly as they pushed their way in front of them, but they couldn't care less. Especially not as they reached their goal.

There, in the center of the circle, was Zexion, surrounded by three other boys from their class. Roxas had seen them this morning, but didn't know their names.

"Hey", he whispered to Axel, "Who-?

"That one's Xigbar" he replied, his voice light, obviously amused with their findings. He was pointing towards the boy in a black jacket, with black hair pulled back into a small pony tail on his head. His eyes were slightly golden and slanted, evidence of his at least partial asian heritage. Moving his finger, Axel pointed to the blonde boy. He had straight, pale, hair, hanging to his shoulders. "That's Vexen." His finger moved yet again, this time to the third boy. He too had black hair. His hair was as black as Xigbar's, but it was loose, hanging like a curtain down his back. "And that's Xaldin." His lips twisted up. "This is gonna be good."

A quick glace at Demyx showed that he was even more excited for this than Axel- The red head was just smirking, his eyes glinting. Demyx was all-out bouncing on his feet, smiling evilly. Roxas frowned. He didn't know these guys too well, but he liked them. They seemed nice, had been friendly, and funny. This side of them however...he didn't know how much he liked this. It seemed... mean.

Turning his attention back to the spectacle at hand, he noticed that the three boys were in an odd triangle around Zexion. The blonde one was holding a book over his head, swaying it in front of Zexion like one does with a red flag to a bull, keeping it just out of his reach. Taunting. When Zexion gave a futile leap, Vexen tossed it- With great care. It was still a book, and Vexen did like books.-to Xigbar. Catching it, the boy cackled maniacally.

"Ya want your book?" He mocked, smiling evilly. "Let's see what you're reading!" Turning the book around he gave one look at the cover and pulled back. "What the- what kinda weirdo book is this?"

"A Wrinkle In-" Zexion started, but Xigbar ignored him.

"Xaldin! Look at this thing!"

Turning the boom around, he showed the book to Xaldin. The bottom of the cover had mountains, a giant blue ball rising from them with a floating, green, head inside. There was a centaur flying over the orb with giant white wings, the sky behind it a drab gray-blue. All in all, it painted like, the world's freakiest picture.

"What the heck?" The other boy exclaimed. The three were laughing now, as were many others. The girls Roxas had shoved past were murmuring to themselves worriedly, suddenly afraid that Zexion was crazy. What kind of person read a book like that?

"Dude", Axel muttered, "He _always_ reads stuff like that. The last book I saw had this giant worm or something and a bunch of sand."

"Who read's that stuff?" Demyx shook his head in disbelief.

"Who reads _at all_?"

Roxas frowned again. "I read."

Demyx and Axel both stared, looking as if his next words determined whether or not they could be friends.

"But not stuff like that" he added in a hurry. With a sigh of relief, the two relaxed again

"Xigbar! Xaldin! Vexen! When I get over there-" Nobody paid any attention to the teacher.

"He is _such_ a freak", Demyx muttered, to no one in particular.

"Is that a _head?"_ Xaldin exclaimed, peering over and squinting. He didn't have the best eye sight. His mom had gotten him glasses, but he refused to wear them. After all, he couldn't very well tease Zexion if other people were teasing him, and he was sure they would. Glasses just weren't cool. If anyone was going to wear glasses, it should be the little geek with the weird books.

"Yeah! Check it out!"

With no regard for the book itself, Xigbar tossed it by the spine, leaving the covers to fly open in the air, the pages splaying all about, and before it reached Xaldin, several papers slipped out, fluttering to the ground.

Roxas looked at Zexion curiously, in time to catch the look of abject horror that crossed his face, watched him dive hopelessly for the papers, but Vexen beat him to it.

"What's this?" He asked, lifting them to his face.

"Don't read that!" This time he lunged right at Vexen, his hands grabbing futilely, but coming up with only air. With one shove, Vexen had him on his butt on the ground.

"Shut up and sit there!" He lifted the papers again. Zexion cried out again, trying to get up, but Xigbar and Xaldin arrived just as he'd scurried to his feet, holding him back. Xigbar was smiling like a loon.

"Read them! Read them!"

"No! Don't!"

Vexen paid no heed to Zexion's pleas, instead lifting the papers in the air.

"Do you want me to read them?"

It started off low, the chanting, but soon grew until the whole crowd was chanting for them to be read, Zexion begging him not to. The teacher was almost there, so Vexen got to the task quickly. Scanning his eyes over it, he frowned.

"What the-? Listen to this. 'Once upon a time, there was a prince. He wasn't locked in a tower or guarded by a dragon, but he was still very sad and lonely. The queen wasn't very nice at all and more than anything he wanted to go somewhere else. Maybe she was not his real mom. Maybe he was switched by faeries and his real mom was somewhere out there looking for him.'" He burst out laughing. "Is this what you do by yourself all day? Write _fairy tales?_"

"Is this you?" Xigbar laughed. "A sad prince?"

"No." Xaldin corrected. "He's a sad princess."

"Stolen by faeries!"

Axel and Demyx had dissolved into laughter, leaning against each other, so they didn't notice that Roxas wasn't laughing. No, instead, Roxas was watching Zexion. He'd stopped struggling, barely standing on his own, slumped, held up by Xaldin and Xigbar as they "held him back." He was staring at his shoes, his face bright red, and once again Roxas was wondering why it was that Demyx hated him so. He didn't seem so arrogant now, so full of himself, or even so weird, despite what they'd just read. No, now he just seemed like a sad little boy and Roxas couldn't help but think that perhaps he had actually had based the character in his story off of himself.

It was at that moment that Xaldin and Xigbar felt the cold clasp of the teacher's hands upon their shoulders. Dropping Zexion, he fell to the ground, soon followed by his book and the papers. He was soon scrambling about in the dirt collecting them, tucking the story back into the book and holding it tight against his chest. Smoothing the pages crumpled from it's abuse.

"You two are in big trouble. All of you!" She snapped, "This kind of behavior is completely unacceptable! You should all be ashamed of yourselves!"

"Here it comes", Demyx grumbled. "Telling us all to be nice to wittle Zexy."

"Well yeah."

"You two are coming with me." She looked up towards Vexen. "And you too mister. Get! To the principal's office with you!"

She knelt by Zexion for a moment, apologizing and making sure he was okay before scurrying off to make sure the three found their way to the office. Some of the crowd had dispersed- recess was ending soon anyways, and besides the fun was over. Some had remained, and it was partially for them that Axel moved in until he was standing right over Zexion.

"So is it true? Do you really think you were switched with faeries?"

"What? No-" he scrambled trying to stand, but didn't get very far.

"Maybe if we're good, the faeries will take you back."

Smirking, Demyx gave a final shove, knocking him back to the ground to the chorus of laughter.

As the bell rang, the children began to file into the classroom. Roxas, however, was still, watching Zexion re-gather his things, dusting himself off.

"Roxas!"

Turning, Roxas found Axel and Demyx, now a ways away, looking towards him expectantly.

"Come on!" Axel waved him over, "We're gonna be late!"

They were back again, the two that he had found himself liking. The ones that joked around and grinned and were nice. They were waiting for him, even though they might be late themselves. It was as if they'd never had any part in the previous scene, as if they'd never changed, and Roxas found himself running towards them, following them into class and parting with high-fives and chatter, like real friends.

* * *

The teacher arrived back shortly and he saw Axel run over to talk to her, but Roxas wasn't paying attention. He was watching Zexion, as the boy carefully slipped through the door and snuck over to his desk, trying his hardest not to be seen. He didn't appear to be hurt, Roxas noticed. Not physically. But as he slid into his seat, he seemed more hunched over than before, his head down further, his hair covering more of his face. It seemed even more as if he were trying to hide, with his book and papers clasped tight against his chest. Guarding his once secrets with his life.

Frowning again, Roxas looked back towards Axel, to Demyx, and the leaned over.

"Hey."

Wincing, Zexion looked up in surprise, his gaze wary.

"Are you okay?"

Zexion blinked, a careful surprise creeping into his face. Slowly, he nodded. But he was still clinging to the creepy book like a lifeline.

"Is it any good?"

He blinked again, tilting his head.

"The book. Is it any good?"

He got that shocked look again, but as comprehension dawned- He was actually having a real conversation. A nice one- he nodded more energetically than before.

Roxas frowned. He wasn't speaking. He wasn't sure why Zexion wasn't speaking, but he wasn't. He'd heard him speak before- though that hadn't turned out too well- he knew he could. But he wasn't. Trying again, he asked, "What's it about?"

Zexion was quiet for a little longer, until Roxas thought that maybe he wasn't going to answer at all. Maybe he didn't want to. Maybe he blamed him for the scene out there, for Axel and Demyx's part in it. After all, he'd been with them and had just stood there. He hadn't tried to help or anything. Just watched, and then they'd skipped away in a happy little group.

"I'm sorry."

"What? I said-"

"No...I heard you. I'm sorry...for your name. What I said...before..."

"Oh." It was Roxas's turn to blink in surprise. "Um...that's okay...I guess. Just don't say things like that to people. It's not nice."

"I'm sorry."

"Huh? I said it's-"

"Roxas."

He turned to find the teacher walking over towards them, smiling serenely. "I've talked to Demyx and Axel and they want to know if you want to go sit with them. It's fine with me. After all, I'm glad you've made friends so quickly. But it's up to you really. Would you like to go sit over there?"

Roxas's eyes followed the teacher's pointing hand across the room. The two boys were sitting there, watching less-than-discreetly. Catching Roxas's eye, Axel winked, Demyx giving a little wave. They were still the good guys, the people he liked. The type of people he'd wished just this morning that he could have been seated by. People who talked, and had fun. They were definitely fun. People who weren't Zexion. He'd wanted nothing more than to sit at a table like that with people like those. Now however...

He moved his eyes between Zexion and his new seat, back and forth, indecisive. He didn't notice Zexion's fingers crossed beneath the table. The hand in his pocket, fiddling with the candy packet. The hopeful look in his eyes that maybe, just maybe, he could have a friend. Maybe he could be chosen for once, for something good.

"Yes."

Across the room Axel and Demyx jumped up, high-fiving each other. Roxas smiled, gathering up his things, and Zexion sat there, eyes glued to his book, popping skittles into his mouth, one by one.

* * *

He was never mean. Zexion had to give him that. He didn't taunt him or rub things in his face. He never pushed him, or called him names. In fact, at time he could be considered nice, and friendly. They weren't...friends...exactly. Roxas had friends, cool friends. Other people to hang out and play with. But when they got put together for projects, or if they met on the bus, he would smile and chat. And when that happened, Zexion could sometimes believe that he had something like a friend. At any rate, it was more than he'd had before.

And so, things went on like that for the next seven months. Seven months of their not-quite friendship. Demyx and Axel still hated him, and things hadn't gotten any better with the other children. But things were maybe...better? Just a bit. In general.

And then one day Zexion was gone. Nobody knew where he was or why he'd gone, but he wasn't there. It wasn't until three days later that Axel had the answer; That Zexion's parents had just up and moved with no warning whatsoever. Just a call a few days later, from Zexion's mom to Axel's, from a payphone in another city.

And so time passed. The hype wore down and people moved on. Zexion bacame nothing more than that weird kid from second grade. He was mentioned once or twice in conversation, mentioned by Axel's mother sometimes, and lingered in the back of everyone's thoughts. But he was nothing more. At least not for the next ten years...

* * *

**WHOO! THAT TOOK ME FOREVER! Seriously, I've been working on this for quite some time now, so I hope it's good. And remember to go check out the fic that inspired this one : **_I Bought These Skittles On E-Bay_**! UM...That's all because I'm tired, but yeah. I hope you liked this. And remember, reviews make Redfaerie happy! They power my fingers! **

** Thanks for reading :)**

** _Redfaerie  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Thank you for everyone who's reading this fic and an extra-special thank you for the once who reviewed! I don't mean to play favorites, but I totally love you more. Don't tell the others ;P Anyways, here is chapter 2 of this fics! I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_~ 10 years later ~_

The sun was hot, warm, as the last vestiges of summer fought against the chillier fall breeze. The trees were still green, but their leaves were rustled more than they had in the warmer months, as if anticipating their change. Their fall. And in the middle of this transition, the two boys sat on the front steps, licking their quickly-melting ice cream cones.

"So", Roxas said finally, from the lower step, leaning his head back to look at Axel. "I got your text."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"...I came over..."

"So I see."

Roxas frowned, his brow knitting together over impossibly blue eyes. Despite the fact that they were upside down, they were no less enchanting. Many a girl had fallen prey to those eyes over the years, drawn into their spell, only to wind up broken hearted. Axel may have been a flirt, but Roxas had a trail of hearts in his wake.

And like those girls, Axel was no different, his stomach flipping at the familiar sight. Unlike the girls, however, he stamped it down, suffocated the unwelcome feeling away, refusing to dwell on it or what it might mean.

Roxas's upside-down frown deepened, and Axel couldn't help but notice that he looked like he was smiling...Sort of. On half of his face.

"So what did you want?" His voice was laced with irritation, his expression disapproving. Axel just shrugged.

"I thought I already told you." He replied, wiping sweat from the back of his neck with his palm- The one that wasn't holding the ice-cream. "God it's hot" he muttered. "You have a -?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Roxas was already pulling an elastic band from his wrist, holding it up to the redhead. A grin slid across Axel's face as he slipped the band from his friend's wrist, holding out the ice-cream. "Hold this a sec?"

Roxas accepted the treat, leaving Axel free to pull his hair back. The years had done nothing to tame it, the color still as wild as ever. The only thing time had done at all was add a foot or so to the length. He'd taken to wearing it in spikes, but they were wilted with the heat. "Finish your story." He said simply, watching Axel tighten the band before accepting his frozen treat back.

"Okay, so last night I'm just watching TV and then Mom walks in and asks if I remember Zexion. You know, that weird kid from elementary school. My sort-of cousin?"

Roxas nodded. It'd been years since Axel had first told him that in his confused, childish, rambling. Since then, they had come to understand that while Axel and Zexion weren't actually related, their mothers had been best friends for years, and since Axel's mom -Ariel- was an only child, she'd introduced her friend as "Auntie Paine."

"Remember how he just kinda disappeared? Well I dunno what's going on exactly, but apparently he's been having some issues or something and mom offered to take him." Axel paused, giving his ice cream another lick. "Or something like that. I don't really know anything. Just that skittle-boy is moving in."

"Seriously?"

"Yep." He turned the Popsicle, catching another drop as it raced down the stick. "That's where everyone is now, at the airport."

Roxas's eyebrows raised in surprise. "He's coming today?"

"Yep."

"Damn. Way to spring it on you."

"Heh. No kidding."

Roxas's previously raised eyebrows narrowed ."Does Demyx know?"

"Um..."

"Axel!"

"What? Do you wanna tell him?" When Roxas just frowned deeper, Axel sighed. "Oh come on, do you really think he'd be okay with this?"

"Are you?"

Axel blinked at the question, asked in what he'd come to know as typical Roxas fashion. Had he not had years of practice, he could have gotten whiplash as Roxas's glare changed to wide-eyed concern in an instant, his blue eyes as big as ever. His head was tilted to the side in this way that always reminded Axel of a curious puppy, or maybe a kitten.

"Sure Rox. Why wouldn't I be?"

"If memory serves", he replied, gaze skeptical, "You weren't exactly Zexion's biggest fan."

Axel's grin turned sheepish, as he brought a hand- the one not holding ice-cream- to scratch at his cheek. A nervous gesture of his, though he'd never admit it. Axel Sinclair simply did not get nervous. Roxas knew better than that though.

"Yeah, well...No one ever said I was a brilliant kid, alright?"

"Did anyone ever say you were brilliant at all?"

"Smart ass", he grumbled before sighing. "Back then I was just...it was...Well, I was jealous I guess."

"Jealous?"

"Well yeah. He'd come over with his freaky ass mother and everyone would sing his praises while I sat there with a C on my math test and mom wondered where she went wrong. Of course I was jealous of the little weirdo."

"You know, you can't call him that when he gets here." Roxas pointed out. "When's that gonna be anyways? You know, just guesstimating."

"Hell if I know. An hour maybe. Two?"

"Well what airport did he fly into?"

"...We have more than one?"

Roxas just sighed, planting his face in his palm before shoving the rest of his ice-cream in his mouth. After a few moments he pulled the stick out clean and turned to chewing the fake-wood.

"Your hopeless, you know that?"

"So I've been told."

Another sigh.

The two sat in companionable silence for a little while, watching the sun start it's trek behind the trees. When the silence was finally broken, it was by Roxas.

"So...what kind of problems were they?"

Axel frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Zexion." He clarified. "You said he'd been having issues or something, that's why he was coming here. What's going on?"

Axel had noticed- as had everyone- how Roxas had never really hated the boy. He'd watched him work with him, talk occasionally, and though Axel had teased him about it, he'd never been mean. Sure, he hadn't liked the boy, but he _had_ liked Roxas. It hadn't taken long at all for him to become a natural addition to their group. Their third Musketeer. His strange affinity for Zexion had ticked him off though, frustrated him to no end. Because not everyone is Axel's world had to like that little freak- Demyx and classmates excluded.

Now, years older and with newly developed perspective, Axel couldn't help but yet again wonder why that was, this time with more curiosity than malice.

"I dunno." He shrugged. Locking his elbows, he leaned back on his arms, looking upwards toward the sky, and moved the Popsicle stick from one side of his mouth the other. "But if they're sending him _here_, away from his parents and stuff...If probably can't be too good."

Roxas frowned.

"How come bad things always happen to him?"

Axel leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, and this time it was he who frowned.

"I don't get it Rox- I never did. What's up with you and this guy?"

"What do you mean?" To his credit, Roxas looked truly baffled.

"Zexion. It's like you're always on his team or something. I mean, come on, you haven't even seen this kid in...what...ten years? What if he grew up to be a total asshole."

"It's not like that..." Roxas muttered, shuffling his foot a bit. Axel wouldn't get it, at least, probably not. Roxas felt...guilty. He'd actually liked Zexion, though admittedly not at first. He'd tried to be nice to him...but there was only so much he could do without getting teased himself. Looking back on it though, he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he'd stood up for him. Instead of being nice, what if he'd tried stopping the people that were being mean?

His friends...

"Why does it piss you off so much?"

"It doesn't-"

Axel was interrupted mid-sentence by the sounds of tires crunching over gravel. Looking up, they watched as Axel's parents pulled into the driveway, eyes instantly drawn to the pale gray head of hair sitting very still in the backseat.

* * *

Zexion sat, uncomfortably still in the plush seat, completely silent but for the occasional sniffle- The result of a pesky cold that had yet to fully disappear. His face was impassive and to the untrained eye he seemed completely apathetic about the entire situation. If one were to look closer however, they'd notice the shuffling of his feet beneath the seat, the way his eyes darted warily between the two figures seated up front, or the way his hand kept discreetly disappearing into his pocket, removing tiny candies to slip unnoticed into his mouth.

There was chatter in the car, though Zexion contributed to none of it. Some of it, however, was directed at him, or held for his benefit. Mostly though it was conversation between the woman driving and the man in the passenger seat.

_Auntie Ariel and Reno_ he reminded himself. He knew these people, had met them before. Had seen them often- Ariel more than Reno- but sitting there they might as well have been strangers. Hell, they were practically. After all, he hadn't seen these people in ten years. When he'd been told that they'd be retrieving him from the airport, he'd tried to draw up their images in his mind to find that their memories had gone fuzzy. He could remember their red hair- as ridiculous a color as ever that they always seemed to pull off- and that Ariel's was far longer than her son's. That she had kind eyes and a nice smile. But beyond that he had nothing but snatches of memories as fleeting as a dream.

Reno...Reno he just remembered as a child, as the smart-alek ten year old he'd been at last sight. That description was completely inaccurate now. He was taller, filled out. An adult. Not an old one, only twenty, but a man nonetheless.

But probably the strangest moment or him was finding that Ariel was small. She was thin and short, smaller than her son, and it just didn't seem to fit with the image of her that he had, that he'd maintained over the years. She'd always been so tall to him like a goddess or something, and seeing her look so innately..._human_...was disarming to say the least.

It wasn't, however, the cause of his anxiety. It was a contributing factor to be sure, the situation being what it was, but in his memories Ariel had always been nice to him, Reno not around often enough to even have an opinion formed about him. No, his worry was due to the other member of the family- The one not currently in the vehicle- and his friends. The people who had imprinted themselves rather harshly onto his mind, the memories burned there, occasionally in painstaking detail.

Naturally, this anxiety was only worsened as the car turned into the driveway, pulling to a stop directly in view of the two boys on the porch. Two boys which Zexion automatically recognized.

They looked older, as was expected, but even with their different shapes and sizes, different clothing styles having been developed over the years, they were still recognizable. Axel's hair, though longer now, was still unruly, despite his attempt at taming it into a ponytail. He was in some sort of black T-shirt with what he supposed was a band logo of some sort across the front and in rather form-fitting black pants, a rainbow colored belt slung haphazardly across his unnaturally thin hips. He gave Zexion the impression of someone both fiercely intimidating and ridiculously playful, the oddest combination really. He could imagine, however, which side he was most likely to get and he steeled himself in advance to take it.

What scared him more though, more than sharing a house with one of his childhood tormentors, was encountering said tormentors friend. An encounter more frightening because he honestly had no clue where he stood. Would Roxas be the same as before? Would he give in and be against him as well? He couldn't blame him, he supposed. He'd had ten years to bond with these friends of his, why on Earth should he maintain that same strange loyalty he'd seemed to have towards Zexion back then?

They certainly looked closer, he observed, popping another skittle in his mouth. There was just something about the way people interacted with each other, their instinctive body language,they way they'd settle without even thinking about it, that told how close people were. Axel and Roxas were sitting close to each other, but he doubted either noticed it. It just seemed natural.

His heartbeat quickening, he scanned the lawn for Demyx, breathing a slight sigh of relief when he didn't spot him. In the olden days, it had been odd to see any two without the third member of their group, but perhaps that had changed. Maybe, he hoped, he'd be lucky and Demyx would have moved. Or they'd had a fight and he'd been excommunicated. Maybe it was just the two of them now- That would be far easier to deal with.

Because as little as sharing a house with _Axel_ appealed to him, Demyx had always been far worse. Had always hated him more passionately. Axel was childish and easily distracted from his dislike, but Demyx had single-mindedly focused on that hatred like he did nothing else. Was he any less ADD now? Less flighty, Zexion wondered, before quickly dismissing the thought. It didn't matter. He was here now, about to venture into his new life. One he could only hope was better then the last.

_Not that that would take much...

* * *

_

"He has emo hair"

"Well no duh."

Roxas glared across the room at Axel. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Axel just sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not saying it's some serious character flaw Rox, I swear." He replied, exasperated. "I'm just saying it's not exactly a surprise."

Roxas seemed to nod his agreement, but he was still frowning as he turned his gaze back to his book. Rolling his eyes, Axel just groaned and spun his chair around, facing the computer once more, but his typing was borderline violent, each click of the mouse bearing a symbolic resemblance to the stab of a knife.

It had been a strange feeling to look at this person, to know it was Zexion, and yet to feel no ill will towards him, and yet he hadn't. He'd gotten over his jealousy issue, hadn't expected to still resent him for something that happened so long ago, but it had still been weird to feel amicable towards someone he'd once hated so deeply. Someone who he'd been sure was very different. After all, he wasn't the same as he'd been in second grade, had grown and matured. It was an inevitability, and it was with these thoughts in mind that he'd approached the boy, Roxas at his side and greeted him. Roxas had smiled, though he was sure that he was facing something like his own emotions, and welcomed him back to the town. It may not have been an over-emotional, 50's house wife kind of greeting, the smile had been small and somewhat hesitant, but they had been friendly.

Zexion, however, had just stood there, looking as stunned as he had many times before- Usually whenever Roxas would talk to him. He had one suitcase, and was holding it in front of him almost protectively, his hands curled around the handle in a white-knuckled grip. His expression was calm, and for one moment reminded Axel of some sort of robot. Zexion had been a strange child, and it didn't appear that anything had changed.

That thought was reinforced when he finally just nodded, staring at his shoes. His slate-gray hair was falling in his face, one emo piece falling across his left eye. Dressed in a long-sleeved black duster, the white toes of black Converse peeking out from the bottom, he certainly looked odd. He wouldn't look at them. He wouldn't speak to them, and Axel felt his ire spark at the thought that he was still being held responsible for his behavior as a child. It had been a decade ago, he couldn't still be holding a grudge...could he?

Quickly he'd glanced towards Roxas, but the smaller boy hadn't seemed to share his irritation. Rather, there was some other emotion there that he couldn't entirely place. But he didn't like it there, he'd decided, as he watched it cloud the usually bright, blue, eyes.

They'd stood there awkwardly for a while before Ariel intervened, sending Zexion away into the house to follow Reno to his new room. Once he'd disappeared Ariel had turned her attention to the two of them, instructing them to leave him alone for a little while, give him time to adjust, and adding that she;d find them in a little while because she had something to talk to them about. And then in a flash she'd returned to the kitchen, eagerly setting about making some elaborate dish as a form of welcome, leaving Axel and Roxas to slink up to Axel's room and wait for some sort of explanation.

Currently, sitting at his computer however, Axel was suddenly having no problems accepting his feelings for Zexion. Understanding them, on the other hand, was a different matter. They were horribly similar to his previous ones, his chest hot, tight, his stomach churning unpleasantly. It felt very much like the jealousy from before...but that made no sense. He was no longer being compared to the boy, coming up short. Sure his attitude earlier had been frustrating, but there was nothing to be jealous of...Was there?

Axel opened his mouth to add something else, but was cut off as his door creaked open, his mother peering in for a moment before entering and closing the door behind her. Her eyes drifted over to Roxas, relaxing against her son's headboard with a book, and smiled. She'd always liked Roxas, since the first time he'd been dragged over after school one day to make exploding S'mores in the microwave. She'd asked Reno to watch them until she got off work- It was only a half hour after all and he _was_ 10 by that time- but he'd apparently disregarded her instructions in favor of playing video games in his room. Her first impression of the blonde had been him running into her legs and falling on his butt, looking up at her like a deer in the headlights, with wide blue, eyes that seemed to encompass his entire face. There was a smear of chocolate around his mouth and marshmallow smeared all over in his hair.

She'd liked him immediately. Especially after he'd offered to clean up her kitchen, not whining like Demyx- Who she also loved anyways, or her own son. Or Reno, who couldn't understand why he was being forced to clean up a mess he hadn't even made.

"Heh, a book", she chuckled. "In this room? Board up the windows, for the apocalypse is upon us."

"Ha. Ha." Axel replied, rolling his eyes, moving his chair around to face her. "What's up?"

"We need to talk."

"About mime-boy in there."

Roxas sent him a dry glare, but it was his mother who chastised him.

"Axel be nice, but yes actually it is about him. That specifically. I know I forgot to tell you beforehand, it was all so...overwhelming. All of this.." She shook her head, composing herself, unaware of the glance shared between the two boys, their curiosity peaked. "But...well...I'm sure you both know that there were obviously some...issues...Reasons why he couldn't stay there...where he was. It's not my story to tell, but, things were... less than ideal." She ran her hand through her hair roughly. "He's a little...I don't want to say messed up...affected.." She chose. "By it all. He doesn't talk."

The boys blinked. Roxas was the first to speak.

"What?"

"Zexion. He doesn't speak, at all. He's been to the doctor, it's not a physical thing."

"So he's crazy?"

"Axel!"

The redhead could only shrink back slightly as the reprimand came from both Roxas and Ariel.

"What? This kid just keeps getting weirder!"

"He's allowed to be a little weird, considering." Ariel commented. "And you're to be nice to him."

Axel slumped in his seat, huffing out a breath, his opinion of the boy dropping by the minute. Things were falling back into their old patterns, he could see it. His mother, Roxas... eying his phone on the dresser he felt the strong urge to call Demyx. He'd be on his side, he was sure of it.

But somehow, that didn't quite help the fact that Roxas wasn't.

* * *

Roxas frowned, watching Axel sulk in his computer chair and wondering for the millionth time what was wrong with him. He'd been off since this morning, and though he could figure out it had something to do with Zexion, _what _exactly was just beyond him. Sure Zexion was...well, abnormal...to be sure... but being with him for those few minutes that he had, he'd gotten the same feeling that he'd had before. That he was trying his hardest to disappear, and the atmosphere just wasn't letting him.

But what were those issues that Ariel was talking about?

Just what had happened to him?

* * *

Zexion lay back against the bed, staring at the plain white ceiling, his hands placed over his stomach to stop it's tossing. His heart was in his throat, thumping out a rapid beat. His palms were clammy, nose stuffy and his back hurt, and he wasn't sure how many of these symptoms could be attributed to his cold. How many were due to nerves.

Closing his eyes, he sighed, listening to the muffled sounds through the wall. The T.V maybe. Maybe voices, the other members of this house talking. The people he'd be living with, at least for the next year. Unbidden, the image of Axel and Roxas rose before his eyes. They'd been curious, talking to him, asking him questions. They hadn't been hostile, but that was perhaps more frightening than if they had been.

He'd had a chance. That had totally thrown him for a loop. They'd looked at him like he was...well, maybe not normal...but they weren't glaring in disgust. And he'd just stood there, thinking answers in his mind. Wishing he could say them. Wishing he wasn't such a freak But he was, so he couldn't, and as he felt the panic building in his stomach, pushing up bile instead of words, watched Axel's expression turned annoyed, he knew that he'd blown it. And as he'd followed Reno away, feeling their eyes on his back, he'd felt his heart sink.

How could he do this, he wondered, one hand diving into his pocket, desperately seeking out the candies that he'd become somewhat dependent upon.

How on Earth was he going to survive?

* * *

**HEY! CHECK IT OUT! Chapter 2! I've just realized that there is an awful lot of Axel and Roxas in this fic. And that's good, because they're main characters...just not THE main characters. And so, rest assured, DEMYX WILL TOTALLY MAKE AN APPEARANCE IN CHAPTER 3!**

** So, that being said, what do you guys think? Still like it?**

** Lemme know!**

** _Redfaerie**


End file.
